Harry Potter and the Innocent Man of Azkaban
by Katerina Mellark
Summary: Harry met Sirius that night before he left Privet Drive. What if Sirius gave him the tools needed for Harry to realise that Sirius was framed and to avenge his parents' death? /Rated T just in case/


Hello! I couldn't fall asleep (It's close to 7AM, btw), so I decided to start on a new story! It's based on PoA, but with a slight change in it :)

Maybe not that slight...

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Chapter One

"… **the public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hotline has been set up, and any sightings of Black should be reported immediately."**

Harry Potter looked up from his corner of the Dursley's living room. _Sirius Black? Isn't he the guy that blew up his best friend in the middle of a busy street, taking out at least a dozen Muggles? Mr. Weasley told me that he was my godfather._ Harry wondered to himself.

"Alright, Marge's flight is delayed for approximately 6 hours. She'll be here tomorrow." Uncle Vernon boomed. Turning to Harry, he continued, "you'd better be on your best behaviour, or I won't sign that bloody form of yours. Understand?"

Not wanting to risk his Hogsmeade privileges, Harry nodded. Vernon turned his head towards the television and continued watching the news. Harry stood up, and stalked towards the front door. "I'll be out for a few hours." Hearing Uncle Vernon's grunt, Harry turned the wooden doorknob and pulled the door open. Sighing at how the cool evening breeze washed over his face, Harry took in a deep breath and started walking towards the playground at the end of Privet Drive.

* * *

Settling down on a swing, he opened his Transfiguration textbook that was previously tucked under his arm. _Transfiguration of a form of non-living object to another is the easiest and most basic of the art. The transformation of mammal to another has been covered in the previous topic and it is hoped that the theory and practical use has been successful…_ The wind started to pick up, and Harry started to shiver. It was a cold July night, no wonder no one else was seen out on the streets. It was strangely eerie and deserted and Harry could not help but think so.

There was a rustling to Harry's right, and fearing for his safety, he got to his feet. The rustling came from the bushes around the playground. Taking out his wand, Harry muttered, "Lumos." The tip of the holly wand lit up. He pointed it towards the bushes, and slowly a huge, black dog slunk out of the shadows. Harry sighed and pocketed his wand, sitting back down onto the swing. He opened his book and was about to start reading when a raspy voice was heard behind him.

"You know, you shouldn't have let down your guard that easily. I could've been a Death Eater, you know." Harry jumped up and turned around, wand pointed directly to the man's chest. Harry's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the dishevelled Sirius Black.

* * *

"Sirius Black. You betrayed my parents and killed their friend in cold blood. Give me a reason why I shouldn't avenge them." Harry spat out. _How dare he show his face in front of me, after what he did to Mum and Dad! I should just Stun him and send a message to the Ministry._

Despite the threat Harry made, Sirius' dark face lit up with a smile. "Can't I meet my godson after years in that hellhole? Besides, I'm not the man you want. It's Peter Pettigrew."

Harry could not believe his ears. _Peter Pettigrew? He's dead. You blasted him and a dozen Muggles to smithereens._ The Gryffindor in him wanted to interrogate Black personally and dish out the righteous justice that Harry would see fit. "Pettigrew is dead. You destroyed him! The only thing they could find of his is-"

"His finger!" Sirius cut him off. "Come on, Harry. You have the brains of both Lily and James Potter. If I had blasted him to pieces, the Ministry would've found more pieces than just his bloody finger! Look at this picture and tell me what you see." Sirius rummaged around his rags and pulled out a week-old copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

"All I see is the Weasley family having fun at Eygpt." Harry said indignantly. Sirius made a sound of exasperation and pointed directly at Ron's shoulder. Right at Scabbers, Ron's pet rat.

"See that rat? That's no ordinary rat. I've seen that Animagus transform every month since my fifth year. Let's sit and have a talk. Lower your wand, Harry. I don't have one on me right now." Sirius walked around the swing and sat next to the one that Harry was sitting on previously. "Now, tell me, how long do common garden rats live?"

With a puzzled look, Harry sat down beside Sirius. "Three to four years, maybe? Five, tops. But, Ron told me before that Scabbers has been in the family for over 12 years. It was passed down from Percy after he got his owl." Harry let the piece of information really sink into his mind. _A normal rat would die after 6 years. However, Scabbers has been with the Weasleys for as long as Voldemort's gone. It didn't add up at all._

Taking a guess at what Harry was thinking, Sirius continued. "Look at this picture. Don't you notice that this rat is missing a finger?" To further solidify Sirius' claim, he pointed a long, filthy fingernail towards Scabber's right paw. Harry looked closer and realised that indeed, Scabbers was missing a toe.

The gears were starting to move in Harry's mind. _Scabbers has been in Ron's family since Voldemort's defeat. It's missing a toe, more prominently the smallest toe on the front right paw. Peter Pettigrew was declared dead a day after Voldemort's downfall. He's missing his pinky on his right hand._ Harry gasped. "No… It can't be…"

Sirius smiled triumphantly. "Yes, Harry. It is. Pettigrew has been hiding in his Animagus form for over a decade. If you want to avenge your parents, this is what you need to do…"

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A/N: I have too many ideas in my head that it's almost incoherent to me.

Or maybe it's because I need sleep after 8 hours of work and also after washing the godforsaken popcorn machine (It's really not easy to wash it, really exhausting. Trust me, my arms have a year and a half's worth of burn marks.)


End file.
